Chocolate and Valpolicella Crema

Ask anyone that really knows me and they'll tell you that I'm a sucker for anything chocolate. So I have been waiting for the chance to make what Mario calls the most adult chocolate pudding that you'll ever encounter.

At first glance, this recipe looks like your standard chocolate pudding.  But Mario kicks this into overdrive by adding red wine. I know, i was a little sceptical about it too, but hey, its chocolate, how bad could it be?

I also want to take the opportunity to apologize in advance for the lack of photos in this blog post.  I decided to try out the camera on my new cell phone but for some reason none of the photos seemed to save. Lesson learned. 

I started by reducing some red wine and sugar in a small saucepan until reduced by 2/3 and syrupy.

While that's going, I melt some bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler. When melted, I add the red wine syrup, some egg yolks, milk, cream, and sugar, along with a pat of butter and whisk the mixture until smooth.

This mixture then goes into wine glasses or custard cups and is chilled until it has set. 

Its ready to eat.  It just needs a little dollop of whipped cream.

Wow.....wow....shhh....I'm eating....wow....

This is quite complex. There's such a nice contrast of sweet and acidic.  Its a quick recipe too. I just wish that you could see some of the steps that i went thru to make it.  But regardless, here is what it looks like finished.

I know right! You want to make it don't you? If you love chocolate as much as i do then you can't go wrong with this dessert.

Next up, I'm going to start utilizing some of the great fall ingredients that are coming in to season as we speak. The air is getting more crisp every day, and there are some amazing looking fall recipes in this cookbook.  Until next time...